Tornadoes?

Question

When you look at statistics, it there have been many more tornadoes recorded annually during the past 10 to 20 years than in previous years. Does this mean that the severe weather of Tornado Alley is getting even MORE severe? Why might the statistical records show an increase?

Answer 1

I think that with current technology, there is more recorded because there is more "seen" on radar. I wouldnt say that we are getting more severe weather, its just more acurately reported. Also areas that were in the past just farm land is being more and more populated there for more tornados are physically seen than before.

Answer 2

I am assuming that you are looking at statistics that are compiled from the records of the National Weather Service and the government publication Storm Data. That seems to be the best source of tornado records.

Ok, let me try to give a little history lesson. When Storm Data was first started, the job was normally given as a extra task to a low ranked forecaster who may or may not have been interested in compiling the data.

Each forecast office was given the task of compiling the data and sending it to a central editor who then put everything together for publication. Only the most significant events were published. Many of those issues for the entire country consisted of only a few pages for each month. There really was not too much interest in doing the compiling job and it was a pretty thankless task.

Even as the tornado warning program evolved during the 1950s and verification of the warnings were requested by headquarters, most offices spent little time or effort in that task. Information was normally only taken from the newspapers or if there was first hand knowledge from an employee or one of the cooperative observers.

Even through the 1960s, verification of storms continued to be a rather slow tedious task. All of the information had to be typed by hand onto forms and then sent to the central location for compilation. Those that compiled the info had a very difficult time in putting everything together. But, if you look at the publications, they were starting to get a little thicker during those years.

I suspect you will notice that a big jump occurred in the 1970s. That was due to one event. The super tornado outbreak of April 3-4, 1974.

As a result of the outbreak, the NWS (renamed in 1970 after less than two years of being known as the Environmental Sciences Service Administration (big trivia answer there) added a special position at each forecast office called the Warnings and Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM). That person was specifically charged with both improving cooperation with local and state officials on weather preparedness activities, and investigating damage reports to determine what caused the damage, and to improve verification scores. Naturally, the compilation of information for Storm Data was assigned to this person as well. Many of these people in the late 1970s and 1980s worked hard to improve the information. (And had to work 30 to 60 percent of their time on shift.) The thickness of the Monthly Storm increased steadily during the next 15 years. Much more complete, much more detailed. (Still a long way from perfect.)

In the late 1980s and early 1990s. The WPM position was upgraded to a position that became the Warning and Coordination Meteorologist. (WCM) Which it still is today. This position required a person to be at least the rank of a senior forecaster and was actually one of two positions that was directly under the Meteorologist-in-Charge of the office.

Then things jumped again as the WCM's were tasked to verify the improvement in warning services to the nation due to investment of the doppler radars and improved computer systems. It also became much easier to enter and transmit the data to the central location with computers and no longer was done by hand.

Thus, data continues to increase. The increase in the amount and detail in Storm Data has been more from the desire to verify the warning program than anything else. Is it perfect, no not yet, but, they are still trying to improve.

I know this is long, but you asked why the data appears to be increasing. This is why.

Answer 3

I think it's not just the increase in population, but also the increase in the number of people looking for tornadoes. Any possibly tornadic storm has dozens if not hundreds of stormchasers watching it. They will not only catch any tornado that forms, and also many non-tornadoes often get misreported as tornadoes now.

Answer 4

It means that there are a lot more observers in the field looking for these whirling storms. Just like you and me, everytime a tornado touches down, we report it to the NWS. and they issue the warnings for them.